R. B. Greaves

Ronald Bertram Aloysius Greaves III (28 November 1943 – 27 September 2012) was an American singer who had chart success in 1969 with the pop single "Take a Letter Maria". A number-two hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, this single sold one million copies, and it earned gold record certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Greaves also reached the Top 40 in early 1970 with "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me".

Biography Greaves was born in 1943 on the US Army Air Forces base at Georgetown, Guyana.

Greaves had built a career both in the Caribbean and in the UK, where he performed under the name Sonny Childe with his group the TNTs. His debut recording, "Take a Letter Maria", was released under the name R.B. Greaves and produced by the president of Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegün.

The song is the story of a man who learns of his wife's infidelity and dictates a letter of separation to Maria, his secretary, who the last verse suggests may become his new love. The song has a distinct Latin flavor, complete with a mariachi-style horn section.

The record stayed in the Billboard chart for 15 weeks in the United States, selling a million copies. It received gold record certification from the RIAA on 11 December 1969. By 1970, sales of this song totaled 2.5 million.

In September, 2012, Greaves died from prostate cancer in Granada Hills, California. He was 68 years old.

Discography Albums Year Album Peak chart positions US US R&B1969R.B. Greaves Released: 1969 Label: Atco Records Released: 1977 Label: Bareback Records Format: LP album——

Singles "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not certified